Saturday, May 17, 2014

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars:Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

This book by John Green (my first foray into his writing) was pure emotion. Nothing more. Nothing less. There is nothing I can say that can describe this book to perfection. I will say that although I was completely ensnared in John’s storytelling, and loved this book from beginning to end, I was surprised that this book didn’t hit me in the gut like it did most readers. There were a few moments where I felt the sting of tears, but sadly (for me) I didn’t actually need one single tissue. Hazel and Augustus were flawless because they were so flawed, a little wise beyond their years, but that could be due to their lives being full of cancer treatments and constant adult companionship. Their friendship (including the romance), more than anything else carried the weight of this book, and John balanced the serious tone of The Fault in Our Stars impeccably with the lighthearted humor of those two amazing characters. Thank you, John Green for an amazing book that I will endeavor to share with everyone.